Welcome to Survival of the Fittest, a RPing board loosely based off of Koshun Takami's Battle Royale, with its own unique plot and spin on the 'deadly game'. We've been around quite a while, and are now in our thirteenth year, so don't worry about us going anywhere any time soon!

If you're a newcomer and interested in joining, then please make sure you check out the rules. You may also want to read the FAQ, introduce yourself and stop by the chat to meet some of our members. If you're still not quite sure where to start, then we have a great New Member's Guide with a lot of useful information about getting going. Don't hesitate to PM a member of staff (they have purple usernames) if you have any questions about SOTF and how to get started!

Let the games begin!

Username: Password:

Go to a school trip they said, it will be fun they said; Private, apologies

Mia knew that this whole thing wasn’t going to be easy, but she hadn’t quite accounted for just how many things were going to be a hurdle.

Walking, it turned out, was one of them. When Mia was on her own she didn’t exactly walk most places, she was generally running or jogging, even if she just needed to grab some milk from the grocery store round the corner. But when she did walk by herself, during her brief rest and cooldown periods, or on those rare occasions when she just felt like taking it slow and enjoying the sunshine, she could just plug her earphones in and be content with everything around her, with Pepper and Casey by her side. At school and with friends, it was even easier, aside from the few times that Mia’s excited nature caused her to get a few strides ahead of everyone else. She almost always had something to say, some story to tell that would inevitably become ridiculously convoluted as she tried to recount every minute detail. If she didn’t, then she was always eager to hear what her friends had been up to and what they had to say, so even the longest walks practically flew by for her.

Now that she was on the island, even walking felt like it was taking all the energy out of her seemingly endless wellspring. At another point in time, in another life, this place would have been fascinating to explore. It was a literal ghost town, up and abandoned in a hurry, human activity frozen in time like footprints on the moon, with nature slowly creeping up to reclaim what rightfully belonged to it.

But not right now. Right now, every nook and cranny was a potential hiding spot for a would-be murderer, rather than a place to explore in greater detail. Every spot of shadow required several seconds examination, and every small movement caused Mia to double-take, until she was certain that the culprit was a bird or some small rodent. Any creak or unnatural sound caused the blood in her veins to freeze, whether it be their own footsteps on a loose step, or simply the wind whistling through these old buildings. Even the huge metal bridge spanning the bay had an air of ruin to it, like it was about to collapse at any moment whilst they were walking across it.

It wasn’t exactly easy to drum up conversation, either. What exactly was there to talk about? The scenery? The weather? Candice’s interests, when she had never spoken to this girl until today? Or how about the murder island they were currently stuck on, with any of their former classmates a potential killer? That was a good conversation piece, right?

Mia tried, she really did. Topics appeared in her head and faded away just as quickly, none of them feeling appropriate. A few others did manage to leave her mouth, but dying off after one or two words, drifting off into the wind and nothingness. Maybe it was simply due to her not knowing Candice, not knowing what she would be okay with talking about, especially not in a situation such as this. Maybe it was due to their poor start earlier that Mia didn’t want to say anything, in case she messed up again, in case she fucked up even worse this time.

Whatever the reason was, for the most part, she walked alongside Candice in silence, crossing the bridge, and wandering towards the biggest landmark they could see; the asylum. And why not? It was just as safe as anywhere else on the island right now, after all. Whether that was comforting or frightening was a matter of perspective, of course, but Mia chose to see it as the former. It didn’t matter where they chose to go right now; nothing was a bad choice. The front door, huge, heavy and made of solid wood, swung upon with surprising ease. Mia craned her neck to look back at Candice and mustered up a small grin.

“Wow, guess I really don’t know my own strength, huh?”

Mia turned back to look into the depths of the building, blinking a few times to adjust to the gloom. They had no real prerogative, here; simply pick a direction, wander about and… hope for the best, really. As such, Mia employed the time honoured tradition of ‘eenie-meenie-minie-moe’, taking a few moments to do so mentally, before pointing in the victorious direction.

“Might as well just head this way and… see what’s going on, right?”

Mia bounded up the steps two at a time, her instinct from back home momentarily kicking in, somehow managing to avoid every crack and chip by sheer dumb luck. She had wanted to wander, but she didn’t really want to stay in these corridors for much longer than she had to. This place was just… eerie. The other building across the bridge had been squalid and rundown, but at least the stacks of beer bottles and overturned furniture suggested that life had been enjoyable there. Here, there were metal bars, locks and gates everywhere you looked. Mia hadn’t checked her map, so she had no clue of the true purpose of the building she was currently wandering about in, but she could tell from the imposing fence outside and the dark, oppressive interior, that it wasn’t pleasant.

After a few minutes of walking, something managed to break through the endless squalor and gloom, interrupting Mia’s current task of peering into each and every room that was unlocked. There were voices from one nearby, a couple of doors down. Mia screeched to a halt, shakily pulling the gun out of her pocket, breathing a sigh of relief that it had miraculously stayed in there through her trek across the island. Her finger moved towards the trigger, trying to prepare herself to do… something if she heard anything unsavoury.

Then, one of the voices floated out of the door clearly, and Mia lowered the gun instantly, eyes widening as she moved towards the door.

“Al? That’s you, right, Al?”

V7 BAYBEELyra Doyle-Let's live tonight like fireflies, and one by one light up the skyCurrent Thread: The Glorious Evolution - "Sorry, that was a little weird, wasn’t it?"Katie Agustien-If you wanna start a fight, you better throw the first punch, make it a good oneCurrent Thread: V for Vend-etta - "Fuck off. Are you kidding me?"

G034-Astrid Tate-So what became of loving man, and what became of you?Died in: End of the LineWeapon: Pickaxe

G006-Bryony Adams-Burning bright until the end, now you'll be missing from the photographsDied in: eternityboxCurrent Weapon: Deck of playing cards, broken easel leg.

Art and stuff!

Owen, Francis and Amy, all by MimiAmy Bachelor, by Violent-MedicOwen Kay, by Un-PersonaAmy Bachelor, by MimiAmy Bachelor, by TurtleTyrant

Nearing Death's Door

Stepney Cruz-I'm taking back the crown, I'm all dressed up and naked, I see what's mine and take itDean Puchero - By July you'd made a whole bunch of brand new friends, people you used to look down on, and you'd figured out a way to make real moneyGarren Mortimer - Now you can't get mad, I'm only getting started, I won't blackoutBoyd Adkinson - And the lights, they glow, like I just lost the world war, and the scene slips away to the evenness I fake

???

Pippi Fontaine-I'll float on endlessly, senses eluding me, this long horizon to this open sea.Aurelien Valter-It's deep in their bones, they'll run into smoke when the fire is fierceJamie Mittelman-We will meet you where the lights are, the defenders, of the faith we areClover Crescent-Why would I waste another day whilst life just passes by?Ada Bentley-Save your cheers and my applause, I never was worth fighting forRichard Potter-But if I had one chance to freeze time, and stand still and soak in everything, I'd choose right nowKerry Gray-We'll finish what we started, so promise me that we'll be the LionheartedMarshall Nichols-Maybe that's how books get written, maybe that's why songs get sung, maybe we are the unlucky onesGregory "Greg" Gateshead-Built an empire of sound, as the bridges were falling downCandice Bailey-I feel I can fly, I'm on 678 cloud 9, and ain't nothin gonna stop mePatty English-We're all in the same boat, staying afloat for the momentOphelia Wright-If you're dreaming what I'm dreaming, close your eyes and feel at homeMarina-Cassandra Groß-And we will never be alone again, 'cause it doesn't happen every day

"bryony and alba would definitely join the terrorists quote me on this put this quote in signatures put it in history books" - Cicada Days, 2017

Mia waited patiently, eagerly even, for Al to reply to her, still staying outside the door on the off chance that she had misheard and it was a totally different boy with a similar voice inside. She was almost certain it was Al though. Like, 99.9% certain it was him. She liked to think she knew her friends well enough to identify their voices, after all.

As Mia waited, a twinge of sadness started growing inside of her, as she realised that if Al was in fact in that room, then… well, that meant he was here with her, on this island. It was a double edged sword on the island, being a popular girl with a wide circle of friends. She wanted nothing more than to see them here, to see Nathan again, to see people like Sandra and Conrad and Oskar one more time, just to make sure they were all alright. But all that would mean was that they weren’t all right, not if they were all on the island with her, and Mia wanted little more than for them to all be safe and sound back home.

If this wasn’t motivation enough for her to try and find a way off of this place, to escape, she didn’t know what else would be.

Gosh, Al was taking his sweet time in replying, wasn’t he?

Mia waited.

And waited.

And as the seconds went by, the sadness in her heart turned to fear. Maybe Al just hadn’t heard her. Maybe it really wasn’t Al and she was going to look like a complete idiot. But Mia just couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right here.

“Al?” Mia called out again. “Is something wrong in there?”

Mia stole a quick glance back at Candice, raising the gun slightly. She edged closer toward the doorway before speaking again.

“I’m gonna come in after 5 seconds, even if I don’t get an answer, alright?”

Mia slowly started to count down in her head.

V7 BAYBEELyra Doyle-Let's live tonight like fireflies, and one by one light up the skyCurrent Thread: The Glorious Evolution - "Sorry, that was a little weird, wasn’t it?"Katie Agustien-If you wanna start a fight, you better throw the first punch, make it a good oneCurrent Thread: V for Vend-etta - "Fuck off. Are you kidding me?"

G034-Astrid Tate-So what became of loving man, and what became of you?Died in: End of the LineWeapon: Pickaxe

G006-Bryony Adams-Burning bright until the end, now you'll be missing from the photographsDied in: eternityboxCurrent Weapon: Deck of playing cards, broken easel leg.

Art and stuff!

Owen, Francis and Amy, all by MimiAmy Bachelor, by Violent-MedicOwen Kay, by Un-PersonaAmy Bachelor, by MimiAmy Bachelor, by TurtleTyrant

Nearing Death's Door

Stepney Cruz-I'm taking back the crown, I'm all dressed up and naked, I see what's mine and take itDean Puchero - By July you'd made a whole bunch of brand new friends, people you used to look down on, and you'd figured out a way to make real moneyGarren Mortimer - Now you can't get mad, I'm only getting started, I won't blackoutBoyd Adkinson - And the lights, they glow, like I just lost the world war, and the scene slips away to the evenness I fake

???

Pippi Fontaine-I'll float on endlessly, senses eluding me, this long horizon to this open sea.Aurelien Valter-It's deep in their bones, they'll run into smoke when the fire is fierceJamie Mittelman-We will meet you where the lights are, the defenders, of the faith we areClover Crescent-Why would I waste another day whilst life just passes by?Ada Bentley-Save your cheers and my applause, I never was worth fighting forRichard Potter-But if I had one chance to freeze time, and stand still and soak in everything, I'd choose right nowKerry Gray-We'll finish what we started, so promise me that we'll be the LionheartedMarshall Nichols-Maybe that's how books get written, maybe that's why songs get sung, maybe we are the unlucky onesGregory "Greg" Gateshead-Built an empire of sound, as the bridges were falling downCandice Bailey-I feel I can fly, I'm on 678 cloud 9, and ain't nothin gonna stop mePatty English-We're all in the same boat, staying afloat for the momentOphelia Wright-If you're dreaming what I'm dreaming, close your eyes and feel at homeMarina-Cassandra Groß-And we will never be alone again, 'cause it doesn't happen every day

"bryony and alba would definitely join the terrorists quote me on this put this quote in signatures put it in history books" - Cicada Days, 2017

Mia had always worn her heart on her sleeve. She led with it more often than her head. A lot of people labelled that as a personality flaw but she had never seen it that way. Call her naïve as much as you wanted, Mia would always prefer to be too trusting than not enough. She fell in, and inevitably out, of love easily, and not always with the best people either. But she knew enough Shakespeare to remember that it was better to have loved and lost than to be a loner forever. Or something close to that.

Some people might expect the idea of deception to be another thing Mia had a poor grasp of, with her trusting and carefree nature. In some regards, maybe. She’d never been good at acting, for a start, and had never even come close to becoming one of the theatre kids. Little white lies or minor secrets were the worst things to trust Mia with; inevitably she’d crack a smile or let out a giggle and end up spilling the beans in their entirety.

But she’d always been good at pretending things were alright when they were anything but. Even when she was stressed out about the homework she was behind on and absolutely clueless about she could put on a smile and a cheerful wave. Even when she was still dealing with a panic attack because somebody lit a match too close to her, she could still join in and joke with her cheerleader buddies. Even when she was terrified that all of the effort she’d put into her sports would be for nothing, she would always be there with an encouraging word, or a high five or a fistbump or a hug.

So now felt like the perfect time to actually do something useful on the island. Mia craned her neck to look at Candice, and gave her best, most confident smile.

“I know Al,” she whispered. “He’s a sweet guy and absolutely wouldn’t harm a fly. It’ll be fine. You can trust me. Honest.”

Mia realised she was still holding the gun up like she was about to burst into a firefight, and hastily lowered it until it was pointing at the ground, barrel aimed a few inches away from her foot. Al wasn’t about to run out and start attacking them, and it didn’t sound as if the girl with him wanted to do so either. Mia cleared her throat before replying.

“There’s just two of us out here! Just Mia Rose and Candice… uh…”

Shit. Now was not the time to have total brain freeze. A couple of seconds of awkward silence passed.

“Candice Banks! Only real weapon we’ve got is a gun, but I’m not planning on shooting it, I swear. Scout’s honour.”

Mia looked back at Candice and silently mouthed the word ‘Sorry’.

V7 BAYBEELyra Doyle-Let's live tonight like fireflies, and one by one light up the skyCurrent Thread: The Glorious Evolution - "Sorry, that was a little weird, wasn’t it?"Katie Agustien-If you wanna start a fight, you better throw the first punch, make it a good oneCurrent Thread: V for Vend-etta - "Fuck off. Are you kidding me?"

G034-Astrid Tate-So what became of loving man, and what became of you?Died in: End of the LineWeapon: Pickaxe

G006-Bryony Adams-Burning bright until the end, now you'll be missing from the photographsDied in: eternityboxCurrent Weapon: Deck of playing cards, broken easel leg.

Art and stuff!

Owen, Francis and Amy, all by MimiAmy Bachelor, by Violent-MedicOwen Kay, by Un-PersonaAmy Bachelor, by MimiAmy Bachelor, by TurtleTyrant

Nearing Death's Door

Stepney Cruz-I'm taking back the crown, I'm all dressed up and naked, I see what's mine and take itDean Puchero - By July you'd made a whole bunch of brand new friends, people you used to look down on, and you'd figured out a way to make real moneyGarren Mortimer - Now you can't get mad, I'm only getting started, I won't blackoutBoyd Adkinson - And the lights, they glow, like I just lost the world war, and the scene slips away to the evenness I fake

???

Pippi Fontaine-I'll float on endlessly, senses eluding me, this long horizon to this open sea.Aurelien Valter-It's deep in their bones, they'll run into smoke when the fire is fierceJamie Mittelman-We will meet you where the lights are, the defenders, of the faith we areClover Crescent-Why would I waste another day whilst life just passes by?Ada Bentley-Save your cheers and my applause, I never was worth fighting forRichard Potter-But if I had one chance to freeze time, and stand still and soak in everything, I'd choose right nowKerry Gray-We'll finish what we started, so promise me that we'll be the LionheartedMarshall Nichols-Maybe that's how books get written, maybe that's why songs get sung, maybe we are the unlucky onesGregory "Greg" Gateshead-Built an empire of sound, as the bridges were falling downCandice Bailey-I feel I can fly, I'm on 678 cloud 9, and ain't nothin gonna stop mePatty English-We're all in the same boat, staying afloat for the momentOphelia Wright-If you're dreaming what I'm dreaming, close your eyes and feel at homeMarina-Cassandra Groß-And we will never be alone again, 'cause it doesn't happen every day

"bryony and alba would definitely join the terrorists quote me on this put this quote in signatures put it in history books" - Cicada Days, 2017

Mia waited patiently, huddled next to the door. Surely they had done enough for the people inside the room to accept them inside, right? They’d done everything they’d been asked, had stated their names and what they were carrying. Sure, maybe the gun might give them a bit more of a pause for thought, but c’mon. She was friends with Al, and she was sure that was enough for him to break through whatever was given him so much concern in there.

After a few more moments, she heard footsteps from inside the room, and her heart leapt. She stood up straight and turned to flash a grin at Candice, before waiting for the person to come out of the room. Hopefully it was Al and not the unknown girl; no disrespect to her at all, but Mia just wanted to see a friendly face right now. She bounced slightly on the balls of her feet as she waited.

And there he was. Al, walking towards them, a pole almost twice his height in one of his hands, such a bizarre sight that it only increased Mia’s joyous grin. He looked slightly worse for wear; like something had shaken him drastically, which she couldn’t blame him for in the slightest, considering their environment. She stepped forwards, prepared to pull her friend into a tight hug.

“Oh, man, Al, it is you! I’ve been worrying about you, y’know, and-“

Al walked straight past her, and both her voice and her grin faltered. She turned to look at him as he strode onwards down the hallway. Words began to form in her mouth and got stuck there, somehow unable to be forced out. Had Al simply not heard her? Maybe. Maybe he was concentrating on something else, completely zoned out from the world at large. Maybe something on the island had happened to damage his hearing.

That didn’t explain why he’d walked straight past them like they weren’t even there.

“Al? Hey, Al?”

A couple words managed to squeak out of Mia’s mouth. If Al had heard them, he made no sign of having done so. He just kept on walking. Eventually he rounded the corner and disappeared from view. Part of Mia’s brain urged her to start walking, put those years of running to good use, and to follow him. Her feet stayed rooted to the spot. Another set of footsteps thudded past, the other girl from the room running after Al, calling for him to wait. After a second, she too was gone.

The hand holding the gun hung limply by her side. For some reason it was shaking.

Slowly, her legs working independently from the rest of her body, she turned and walked into the room they’d been denied entry from until now. Maybe there was something in there that had spooked Al. Maybe he’d done something, something terrible, something that meant he didn’t want to interact with anyone ever again.

There was a pungent, acrid smell in the air that was all too recognisable as vomit. There was an abandoned chess set next to one wall, pieces scattered everywhere, the aftermath of some violent battle. Aside from that, there was nothing. Nothing to show that anything had happened in here. Nothing to suggest there was any reason for Al to just… ignore her.

Mia stood in the centre of the room, staring at nothing in particular. For some reason, tears were welling up in the corners of her eyes.

V7 BAYBEELyra Doyle-Let's live tonight like fireflies, and one by one light up the skyCurrent Thread: The Glorious Evolution - "Sorry, that was a little weird, wasn’t it?"Katie Agustien-If you wanna start a fight, you better throw the first punch, make it a good oneCurrent Thread: V for Vend-etta - "Fuck off. Are you kidding me?"

G034-Astrid Tate-So what became of loving man, and what became of you?Died in: End of the LineWeapon: Pickaxe

G006-Bryony Adams-Burning bright until the end, now you'll be missing from the photographsDied in: eternityboxCurrent Weapon: Deck of playing cards, broken easel leg.

Art and stuff!

Owen, Francis and Amy, all by MimiAmy Bachelor, by Violent-MedicOwen Kay, by Un-PersonaAmy Bachelor, by MimiAmy Bachelor, by TurtleTyrant

Nearing Death's Door

Stepney Cruz-I'm taking back the crown, I'm all dressed up and naked, I see what's mine and take itDean Puchero - By July you'd made a whole bunch of brand new friends, people you used to look down on, and you'd figured out a way to make real moneyGarren Mortimer - Now you can't get mad, I'm only getting started, I won't blackoutBoyd Adkinson - And the lights, they glow, like I just lost the world war, and the scene slips away to the evenness I fake

???

Pippi Fontaine-I'll float on endlessly, senses eluding me, this long horizon to this open sea.Aurelien Valter-It's deep in their bones, they'll run into smoke when the fire is fierceJamie Mittelman-We will meet you where the lights are, the defenders, of the faith we areClover Crescent-Why would I waste another day whilst life just passes by?Ada Bentley-Save your cheers and my applause, I never was worth fighting forRichard Potter-But if I had one chance to freeze time, and stand still and soak in everything, I'd choose right nowKerry Gray-We'll finish what we started, so promise me that we'll be the LionheartedMarshall Nichols-Maybe that's how books get written, maybe that's why songs get sung, maybe we are the unlucky onesGregory "Greg" Gateshead-Built an empire of sound, as the bridges were falling downCandice Bailey-I feel I can fly, I'm on 678 cloud 9, and ain't nothin gonna stop mePatty English-We're all in the same boat, staying afloat for the momentOphelia Wright-If you're dreaming what I'm dreaming, close your eyes and feel at homeMarina-Cassandra Groß-And we will never be alone again, 'cause it doesn't happen every day

"bryony and alba would definitely join the terrorists quote me on this put this quote in signatures put it in history books" - Cicada Days, 2017

Mia barely noticed Candice walking into the room behind her. For a moment, she had almost forgotten the other girl even existed, so fixated had she been on finding Al again and then… dealing with his reaction. Candice wasn’t the most talkative person, but she’d still put her trust in Mia and followed her here, believing they’d find something or someone helpful. Someone, a total stranger, had put their trust in Mia, and she’d fucked it up. She’d spun Candice a lie that she herself didn’t believe in, and promised her an ally that didn’t exist.

She turned towards Candice, not quite looking at her. Occasionally her eyes flitted up to glance at the other girl, before they resumed their position of staring at the floor. She wanted to say something. She needed to say something. Some sort of an apology, an agreement maybe, just some sort of statement to let the other girl know she was still alive in here.

But nothing came out. There wasn’t even anything in her head that she wanted to say. Her throat felt dry and her eyes felt wet. She looked up again and sniffled, hoping Candice didn’t see the sparkles of tears on her face. Then she headed back out of the door again, walking the opposite direction to where Al and the other girl had gone. Momentarily, it crossed her mind that she was doing the same thing Al had done, walking away from her ally for whatever reason, but she couldn’t bring herself to care right now.

She needed a little bit of time. She needed a little bit of space. She hoped that Candice would follow her, but if she didn’t, then that was that. Maybe it was the best if she went her separate way. It wasn’t as though anything good had come of their alliance so far.

Mia wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, and trudged onwards, no knowing or caring where she was headed. So long as she could be safe to be alone with her thoughts for a while.

V7 BAYBEELyra Doyle-Let's live tonight like fireflies, and one by one light up the skyCurrent Thread: The Glorious Evolution - "Sorry, that was a little weird, wasn’t it?"Katie Agustien-If you wanna start a fight, you better throw the first punch, make it a good oneCurrent Thread: V for Vend-etta - "Fuck off. Are you kidding me?"

G034-Astrid Tate-So what became of loving man, and what became of you?Died in: End of the LineWeapon: Pickaxe

G006-Bryony Adams-Burning bright until the end, now you'll be missing from the photographsDied in: eternityboxCurrent Weapon: Deck of playing cards, broken easel leg.

Art and stuff!

Owen, Francis and Amy, all by MimiAmy Bachelor, by Violent-MedicOwen Kay, by Un-PersonaAmy Bachelor, by MimiAmy Bachelor, by TurtleTyrant

Nearing Death's Door

Stepney Cruz-I'm taking back the crown, I'm all dressed up and naked, I see what's mine and take itDean Puchero - By July you'd made a whole bunch of brand new friends, people you used to look down on, and you'd figured out a way to make real moneyGarren Mortimer - Now you can't get mad, I'm only getting started, I won't blackoutBoyd Adkinson - And the lights, they glow, like I just lost the world war, and the scene slips away to the evenness I fake

???

Pippi Fontaine-I'll float on endlessly, senses eluding me, this long horizon to this open sea.Aurelien Valter-It's deep in their bones, they'll run into smoke when the fire is fierceJamie Mittelman-We will meet you where the lights are, the defenders, of the faith we areClover Crescent-Why would I waste another day whilst life just passes by?Ada Bentley-Save your cheers and my applause, I never was worth fighting forRichard Potter-But if I had one chance to freeze time, and stand still and soak in everything, I'd choose right nowKerry Gray-We'll finish what we started, so promise me that we'll be the LionheartedMarshall Nichols-Maybe that's how books get written, maybe that's why songs get sung, maybe we are the unlucky onesGregory "Greg" Gateshead-Built an empire of sound, as the bridges were falling downCandice Bailey-I feel I can fly, I'm on 678 cloud 9, and ain't nothin gonna stop mePatty English-We're all in the same boat, staying afloat for the momentOphelia Wright-If you're dreaming what I'm dreaming, close your eyes and feel at homeMarina-Cassandra Groß-And we will never be alone again, 'cause it doesn't happen every day

"bryony and alba would definitely join the terrorists quote me on this put this quote in signatures put it in history books" - Cicada Days, 2017